WaHi Shop Owner Robbed at Home Using Stolen Keys From Store, Cops Say

MANHATTAN — The owner of a Washington Heights hardware store was tied up and robbed at gunpoint in her own home a day after thieves broke into her store and stole a safe with cash and her housekeys, police said.

The 63-year-old woman, whose name was not revealed, was at her home at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 25th when three men unlocked her door with the stolen key, pointed a black handgun at her, and bound her hands and feet, according to the NYPD.

The thieves stole a safe in her apartment containing cash and jewelry before jumping into a waiting sedan where a fourth individual acted as a getaway driver, police said.

At 5:30 a.m. the morning before, the thieves had broken into the woman's store, 3841 Hardware, Inc. at Broadway and 160th Street, police said. They broke into the store through its front entrance, but circumvented the security alarm to steal a safe containing cash and the owner's keys, police said.

It was not immediately clear how they found the woman's home address.

Cops said that all the suspects wore gloves and different colored hoodies: grey, yellow, and black.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477)

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